If you could not care less about WiFi, the Waveshare RP2040-BLE module combines a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller with an unnamed Bluetooth 5.1 dual-mode chip, and supports a USB-C add-on board useful during development. There are several Raspberry Pi RP2040 boards with a WiFi and Bluetooth module including the Raspberry Pi Pico W, but if you are only interested in using Bluetooth, the RP2040-BLE board from Waveshare may be more power-efficient and its design may be more suitable for integration into products. Waveshare RP2040-BLE specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex M0+ microcontroller up to 133 MHz with 264KB of SRAM Storage – 2MB of onboard Flash memory. Connectivity Bluetooth 5.1 dual-mode function (BLE and classic) Controlled by serial AT commands Ceramic antenna Expansion 24x through and castellated holes with 14x multi-function GPIO pins. 2x SPI, 2x I2C, 2x UART, 3x 12-bit ADC, 14 x PWM FPC connector […]
Waveshare RP2040-GEEK USB development board features RP2040 MCU, 1.14-inch color display, UART/I2C/SWD ports
Waveshare RP2040-GEEK is a development board that looks like a USB flash drive but is based on a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller with a 1.14-inch 65K color LCD and some expansion ports all housed in a white plastic case. The device comes with a 4MB flash to store the firmware, a microSD card slot for data storage, a BOOT button to enter bootloader mode, two 3-pin connectors for UART and SWD debug, and a 4-pin I2C port. Waveshare RP2040-GEEK specifications: MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller clocked up to 133 MHz with 264 kB SRAM Storage – 4MB flash (W25Q32JVSSIQ) and microSD card slot Display – 1.14-inch 240×135 pixel 65K color IPS LCD display USB – 1x USB Type-A female port for power and programming Debugging – 3-pin SWD port for connecting a target board; the standard CMSIS-DAP interface can be used to debug most Arm-based microcontrollers; […]
EVN Alpha is a LEGO-compatible robotics controller built around Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU (Crowdfunding)
The EVN Alpha is a robotics project from a team based in Singapore and is aimed at roboticists seeking an advanced building platform beyond what LEGO Robotics kits offer. This robotics controller can be considered a spiritual successor to the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 intelligent brick. It runs on the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller with two Cortex M0+ cores running at a maximum clock speed of 133 MHz and 264KB of embedded SRAM and builds upon the rich software support available for the microcontroller. It features 64 LEGO Technic-compatible holes on five sides for easy installation into your projects and has 26 ports for I2C, UART, servos, EV3, and NXT motors. It is smaller volumetrically than the LEGO bricks and can be powered from two generic 18650 Lithium-ion cells rather than a proprietary solution (unlike the LEGO SPIKE Prime). The EVN Alpha was created as a “basecamp for students looking to […]
Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28 development board with 1.28-inch IPS round LCD is available for $15
The Waveshare “ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28” is an ESP32-S3-based display board featuring a 1.28-inch round LCD screen with a 240×240 resolution, driven by the GC9A01 display driver chip. It also includes a Li-ion battery charger, a QMI8658 6-axis IMU (for motion tracking), a USB Type-C connector, and wireless capabilities. This board is quite similar to others like the Lilygo T-RGB, Round Display for XIAO, ESP32-S3 Round SPI boards. However, it’s thinner and more affordable. Waveshare ESP32-S3-LCD-1.28 development board specifications: Wireless MCU – ESP32-S3 Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core, up to 240MHz frequency. Display: 1.28-inch round IPS LCD. Resolution – 240×240 pixels. 65K color. Display Chip – GC9A01A. IMU Parameters: Sensor – QMI8658 Accelerometer resolution – 16-bit; Range (Optional): ±2, ±4, ±8, ±16g. Gyroscope resolution – 16 bits; Range (Optional) – ±16, ±32, ±64, ±128, ±256, ±512, ±1024, ±2048°/sec. Memory: Built-in 512KB SRAM. 384KB ROM. Onboard 2MB PSRAM. External 16MB Flash memory (W25Q128JVSIQ). Wireless Connectivity: […]
SB’s Dual Roundy and Squary Displays are powered by RP2040 or ESP32-S3 microcontrollers (Crowdfunding)
SB-Components has launched Dual Roundy and Dual Squary display modules powered by Raspberry Pi RP2040 or ESP32-S3 microcontrollers. These compact modules feature a 6-DoF IMU, interchangeable displays, and multiple storage and connectivity options. The Dual Roundy is equipped with two 1.28-inch round displays, with a 240 x 240 resolution, and uses the GC9A01 display driver IC. In contrast, the Dual Squary features two 1.54-inch square displays with a 240 x 240 resolution but utilizes the ST7789 display driver. Both displays offer a choice between a Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU and the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module catering to different needs in performance and wireless capabilities. We’ve previously explored other rounded displays like the MaTouch ESP32-S3, T-RGB ESP32-S3, and ESP32-S3 Round SPI TFT. We’ve also examined other products from SB Components such as the Cluster HAT, PiMecha, PiTalk 3G HAT, and Micro RP2040. Feel free to check these out for more interesting tech insights. […]
LILYGO T4-S3 board combines 2.41-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with ESP32-S3R8 microcontroller
LILYGO T4-S3 is yet another ESP32-S3 board with an integrated display, but the main difference here is the 2.41-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with brighter colors than typical TFT displays. It’s actually not the first ESP32-S3 board with an AMOLED display from LILYGO as we previously covered the T-Track and T-Display-S3 AMOLED boards from the company, but the new T4-S3 has a larger 2.41-inch display with touchscreen function and an aspect ratio that may make it more suitable for a wider range of HMI applications. LILYGO T4-S3 specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 8MB PSRAM Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE + Mesh connectivity Storage – 16MB SPI flash, MicroSD card socket Display – 2.41-inch RGB AMOLED touchscreen display with 600×450 resolution (QSPI controller) with 800cd/m2 brightness, 36.2 x 48.96mm active […]
Raspberry Breadstick – A RP2040-based development board in a quirky form factor
The Raspberry Breadstick is a breadstick-shaped development board that is designed for ease of use. Unlike other development boards, the Breadstick is built to fit directly on your breadboard and interface with the other electronic components in your project without the need for lengthy jumper wires. It serves to deliver a prototype that is neat, straightforward, and easy to troubleshoot. It is based on Raspberry Pi’s debut microcontroller, the RP2040, which is the same MCU chip that powers the Raspberry Pi Pico and several other boards. We recently covered the Waveshare RP2040-PiZero that comes in the Pi Zero’s form factor. The RP2040 is cheap and supports C/C++, MicroPython, and CircuitPython. The Breadstick has other interesting features such as a lineup of 24 addressable RGB LEDs with fast refresh rates, a 6-axis inertial measurement unit for collecting acceleration and rotation data, as well as 16MB of external flash storage for your […]
T-Keyboard-S3 4-key USB mechanical keyboard features keycaps with 0.85-inch color display
LILYGO T-Keyboard-S3 is an ESP32-S3 powered USB mechanical keyboard with four keys each equipped with a keycap featuring a 0.85-inch 128×128 color display to show different icons or characters. We have already covered several programmable small mechanical keyboards/keypads or macropads, so the first time I saw the T-Keyboard-S3 I did not think much of it until I read the $65 price tag on Aliexpress which I found excessive for this type of device. That’s only until I realized that each resin keycap has its own color display that the price made sense, and it makes quite a versatile macropad as you could easily program multiple layouts depending on the use case. T-Keyboard-S3 specifications: Wireless module ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 MCU – ESP32-S3R8 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension for machine learning Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB SPI flash Connectivity – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 with LE/Mesh […]